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AFDO Responds to FDA Food Program Review

The December 6 release of the Reagan-Udall Foundation’s FDA Food Program Review Report and its recommendations has been referred to as the first step in aligning ongoing concerns brought forward by stakeholders during the review process and current FDA priorities.

According to AFDO’s Executive Director Steven Mandernach, the association took a leadership role in encouraging review input from not only its membership but also others in the food safety system. Mandernach says that the report’s recommendations clearly reflect the significant information and testimony that was provided, and they address most of the concerns shared by the AFDO membership.

Recommendations in the report “are the beginning of the recognition and stepped-up support for those on the front lines of protecting public health across the country,” says Manderenach. “We strongly agree with the panel’s recommendations on improving information sharing with state and local partners, which improves cooperative relationships with these partners, including funding methods.”

Mandernach further noted that several AFDO recommendations were included as options within the report. He said, “We are looking forward to collaborating with Commissioner Califf as the FDA begins direct stakeholder engagement and implements transformational change — recognizing the foods program is different than other programs in the FDA organizational structure — by appointing and empowering a strong deputy commissioner for foods and also by leading cultural change within the FDA foods program toward a more public health-centric program.”

Posted 12/12/2022

Participate on Tuesday, December 13
Virtual Conference on Food Safety Culture

Food safety is a team effort, and a company’s efforts in protecting its consumers (and its brand) can only be as good as the people – at all levels – who work toward those goals every day. Register today for the FREE QA Food Safety Culture Virtual Conference and get your questions answered on Tuesday, December 13, starting at noon ET.

To provide a more fundamental understanding of food safety culture, what it looks like, why it’s important, and how it can be fun, QA is bringing together an array of speakers for this virtual conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from some of the top professionals in the industry, such as:

• Conrad Choniere, Donald A. Prater, and Frank Yiannas from the FDA
• Tia Glave and Jill Stuber of Catalyst, LLC
• Amy Parks with Dole Fresh Vegetables
• Austin Welch of Sage Media

Click here to learn more and register.

Can’t participate on the day of the event? No problem. Each registered attendee will also receive a link to an online copy of the webinar. The link to the virtual conference content will be sent within five business days after the event.

Posted 12/12/2022

Watch Food Traceability Rule Webinar

New requirements are identified in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act Food Traceability Final Rule. Persons who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL) will be required to maintain records containing key data elements associated with specific critical tracking events and provide this information to the FDA within a reasonable time frame. The new requirements will allow for faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and/or deaths.

Learn More

The FDA held an informational webinar Wednesday, December 7, 2022, that provided an overview of the final rule, including the foods and entities covered by the rule; explained the exemptions from the rule; and discussed the record-keeping requirements of the rule.

Watch the December 7 webinar here.

All questions regarding the Food Traceability Final Rule should be directed to the FSMA Technical Assistance Network.

The final rule is a key component of FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint and implements Section 204(d) of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.

Updated 12/12/2022

Registration Open for FREE Advanced Boot Camp

In addition to the Inspector Boot Camp (see below), AFDO has added two virtual Advanced Boot Camp training days: Wednesday, February 8, and Wednesday, February 15, 2023. If you attended boot camp in 2022 or have more than two years of experience, these sessions are for you. More details and registration for the Advanced Boot Camp will be shared soon.

The Advanced Boot Camp will cover information for both retail and manufactured food-focused inspectors. During this training, inspectors will:

Understand how to identify special processes and review food safety plans
Recognize and shape Food Safety Culture using proven behavior science principles
Identify what makes a foodborne illness investigation different from our routine work
Feel empowered to be a lifelong learner and understand the benefits of this mindset

Advanced Boot Camp Registration Here.

Register Now!
Free Inspector Boot Camp Training Is Back

AFDO is again hosting its one-of-a-kind “Inspector Boot Camp” in 2023 on Tuesdays, January 10, 17, and 24. Each day will include a four-hour training session; select the morning (East Coast edition, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST) or the afternoon (West Coast edition, 1:00 to 5 p.m. EST). Registration will automatically close once the sessions are full at 450 people.

The live virtual training is geared to both retail and manufactured food inspectors (with two years or less experience). Sessions cover both soft and technical skills, followed by interactive facilitated breakout discussions. The goal of this training is for all participants to share experiences, hear from other inspectors and jurisdictions, learn from each other, and network – all while gaining additional tools and knowledge to help be better prepared in the field.

During this training, inspectors will:

Apply more risk-based approaches to conduct quality inspections
Learn how to leverage evidence to support the writing of accurate, valid inspection reports
Identify the signs of an effective (or ineffective) pest control system
Identify strategies to effectively de-escalate conflict and potential violence
Modify body language to offset cultural differences and respect diversity while overcoming language barriers

Inspectors from local, state, and federal jurisdictions with two years or less experience in their food safety careers are encouraged to register as individual participants. When signing up, select either the East or West Coast registration option. All participants will attend the initial January 10 session covering soft skills and general training topics. Then attendees will select retail food and/or manufactured food tracks for technical training.

This training has been approved for up to 12 CEUs through NEHA. Participants will receive a certificate of completion for each date of training and are encouraged to attend at least two (if not all three) of the training dates to take advantage of the complete topics.

FREE Inspector Boot Camp Registration Here

If you have questions about these free training opportunities or would like more information, please email Autumn Schuck at aschuck@afdo.org.

Updated 12/12/2022

Discover FoodSHIELD
Tool of the Week – Task Manager

AFDO eNews is showcasing FoodSHIELD and its secure online collaboration tools that are available to regulatory professionals at no cost. Each installment of the eNews series will focus on one of the platform’s capabilities or tools, which are all designed with food safety and public health collaboration in mind.

Help for Managing Multi-Person Projects

We’ve all been there … You have an important project that has to be done at a specific time – and it takes multiple people from various organizations to complete it. Did you know that FoodSHIELD offers a basic project management tool to help you successfully assign tasks to your team, monitor time frames, and track overall project progress? Check out FoodSHIELD’s Task Manager tool.

You can create new projects and specific tasks under each project, assign people to work on those tasks, and set due dates and reminders to track whether your teammates are meeting their milestones. Once tasks are complete, mark them as such with a click of a button and watch as the project completion status bar inches closer to a finished product.

Take a look at the no-cost Task Manager tool in FoodSHIELD next time you need to herd cats to get a quality project completed on time!

Not a FoodSHIELD member? Go to www.afdo.org\foodshield to learn more or https://www.foodshield.org/members.cfm to sign up. Contact AFDO’s Randy Treadwell at rtreadwell@afdo.org with any questions or to request a demo.

Posted 12/12/2022

Health Canada Rep to AFDO Board Addresses Parliament

Linsey Hollet, director-general of the Health Product Compliance department at Health Canada and Canada Representative to the AFDO Board, answered questions last month about pediatric acetaminophen shipments to Canada from the United States and Australia.

While she wasn’t able to disclose exact quantities shipped because it's considered confidential business information, Hollet did explain how fair and equitable distribution is determined.

“You’ve heard a lot this morning on the importance that we placed on collaboration and a multi-stakeholder approach to this shortage. That is coming to benefit us greatly … by having these open communication chains with pediatric hospitals, with provinces and territories, with healthcare professionals, we will have also a very good line of sight on where need is the greatest,” said Hollet.

See video of committee proceedings.

Posted 12/5/2022

Explore Outbreak Prevention

The HP 2030 Norovirus Workgroup is focused on HP2030 Developmental Objective: FS‑D06, which is to reduce the number of norovirus outbreaks. The group’s developmental objectives offer an opportunity to explore high-priority areas without reliable baseline data but with established evidence-based interventions. The group will use this developmental objective as a framework to control and prevent norovirus outbreaks in retail food environments by focusing on the following three goals:

Goal 1: Increase compliance with behaviors and practices related to proper handwashing, employee health, and no bare-hand contact with RTE food.
Goal 2: Identify and apply evidence-based strategies to implement Food Safety Culture (emphasizing Employee Health).
Goal 3: Identify and apply achievable, effective Tools to Aid in the Fight Against Norovirus Spread.

If you are passionate about public health, believe you can make a difference with these goals and activities, and are able to volunteer five to 10 hours a week to move those goals forward, please submit a statement of interest (one-page maximum) with your resume or curriculum vita to Christi Woodruff, Christi.Woodruff@fda.hhs.gov by Tuesday January 17, 2023.

Posted 12/5/2022

Apply Before January 20, 2023

Conference Grants Are Available for Attending Milk and Shellfish Conferences

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC), the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS), and the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) have announced that grant funds are available for attending the ISSC and NCIMS in 2023.

Key dates and other details:

Grant portal opens December 9, 2022, through January 20, 2023.
Awards will be capped at $5,400 per application, allowing three or four attendees per agency.
Award notices will go out in late February/early March.
Funds cannot be used to cover registration fees.
Funds cannot be used to cover car rentals.
Grant guidance for this portal opening will soon be posted on the AFDO Milk and Shellfish Grant Program website.

How to Apply for Funding

To find the most up-to-date information about this funding opportunity, visit the AFDO Milk and Shellfish Grants website at https://www.afdo.org/grants/msgrants. The portal will open for CY 2023 equipment applications in February/March 2023.

Posted 11/28/2022

Job Opportunities

AFDO has launched a career platform, foodsafetycareers.org, to highlight regulatory food safety job postings for state and federal agencies (and LHDs if submitted). The site offers state-by-state general hiring specifications and a heat map of regulatory food jobs. State agencies are able to sign up for job manager accounts for direct adding/editing of agency job postings and to also search resumes for potential candidates. Please email any current local, state, or federal government job postings directly to careercenter@afdo.org. Include the following information: (1) a link to the job post, (2) a few sentences to describe the position(s), and (3) the closing deadline date. For questions or support on job postings, please contact Jessica Badour, jbadour@afdo.org.

These Just In
New Position Opening Additions

New Mexico Department of Agriculture seeks an Inspector, Intermediate in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. NMDA promotes food protection, a uniform and fair marketplace, and global marketing and economic development; supports beneficial use of natural resources; and works cooperatively with public and private sector entities. Primary job duties will include measuring device inspection, Package inspection, egg grading inspection, UPC inspections, chile advertising inspections. This position may be underfilled as an NMDA Inspector, Associate on a career development plan if unable to fill at the NMDA Inspector, Intermediate. Learn more and apply by 12/12/22.

Texas Department of Health position for an Environmental Protection Specialist I in its Retail program to serve the Midland region of the state closes soon. Incumbent conducts routine inspections of medium and low risk permitted and non-permitted establishments such as foodservice establishments and public environmental facilities that operate institutional sanitation, recreational sanitation or public sanitation type facilities. Learn more and apply by 12/12/22.

California Department of Agriculture has a limited-term 12-month position for an Environmental Specialist (with the option to become permanent) in their Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety (MPES) Branch. The incumbent is responsible for complex scientific analysis and evaluation of regulatory operations and practices related to environmental health and food safety including, but not limited to, conducting investigations of regulated facilities as required and assuring conformance with state and federal laws and regulations governing the formulation and labeling of meat and poultry products. Learn more and apply by 12/13/22.

Iowa Dept. of Inspections and Appeals is seeking a Food Safety Specialist to serve Polk and Jasper Counties. Incumbent is primarily responsible for conducting risk-based inspections of a variety of food and lodging businesses. Learn more and apply by 12/20/22.

Wyoming Department of Agriculture is seeking applicants for two positions:

Inspection Specialist II (part-time) in Powell. The successful candidate for this part-time, AWEC position will perform a variety of tasks in the enforcement of health and sanitation regulations, as well as state and federal food and drug, meat, dairy and egg laws; food establishments, retail food stores, child care facilities, group homes, meat processing/slaughter plants, temporary food stands, public swimming pools and spas, food processing facilities, food warehouses, dairy farms and plants, bulk water hauling trucks, and bed and breakfast establishments within a designated area to ensure compliance with state standards. Performs epidemiological investigations; confers with and advises the public on complaints and public health standards. Learn more and apply by 12/14/22.
Inspection Specialist II (full-time) in Pinedale. The successful candidate will perform a variety of tasks in the enforcement of health and sanitation regulations, as well as state and federal food and drug, meat, dairy, and egg laws; inspects food establishments, retail food stores, child care facilities, group homes, meat processing/slaughter plants, temporary food stands, public swimming pools and spas, food processing facilities, food warehouses, dairy farms and plants, bulk water hauling trucks, and bed and breakfast establishments within a designated area to ensure compliance with state standards. Performs epidemiological investigations, confers with and advises the public on complaints and public health standards. Learn more and apply by 12/14/22.

Missouri Department of Agriculture currently has multiple open positions:

Meat & Poultry Inspector in Central MO. The Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Program (MDA’s MPIP) works closely with meat and poultry processors, livestock producers, and retailers to ensure only safe, wholesome, properly labeled meat and poultry products enter commerce. The candidate for this position will work in meat and poultry processing and/or slaughter establishments with the owners, managers, and employees of these establishments. The candidate must reside in Boone, Cole or Moniteau Counties. Learn more and apply by 12/14/22.
Feed and Seed Inspector in South-Central MO. The inspector assists the states feed and seed industry though inspecting and testing product and providing information to consumers assisting in their buying decisions. The applicant must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, Christian, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Hickory, Howell, Laclede, Ozark, Polk, Pulaski, Taney, Texas, Webster or Wright counties. The job requires daily travel using a provided vehicle to the assigned region to inspect feed and seed establishments for licensure and compliance with Missouri, USDA and FDA statutory governing product manufacture, labeling and distribution. Learn more and apply by 12/14/22.

Indiana Department of Health is hiring for two open positions:

Retail Food Safety Regulator (Food Scientist) in Greencastle. The incumbent will be responsible for functioning as a specialist in food protection through enforcement of laws, rules, and regulations governing the production processing, packaging, and distribution of foods by conducting inspections. This position will also conduct food inspections based on risk assessment, priority, and necessary frequency; provide consultation services, training and education, certification evaluations, act as editor to publish the quarterly newsletter, and maintain regulatory inspection records. Learn more and apply.
Manufactured Foods Regulator in Lafayette (remote). This role functions as a senior level wholesale food establishment specialist through education and enforcement of laws, rules and regulations governing the production, processing, packaging and distribution of foods. The incumbent will conduct inspections, collect surveillance samples, interpret Code of Federal Regulations, statutes, administrative rules and guidance documents, and apply enforcement procedures as necessary to maintain compliance. This position conducts food inspections based on risk assessment, priority and necessary frequency, specializing in providing consultation services to food manufacturers, food distribution facilities, food protection staff members, governmental agencies, trade associations and the general public, and maintains regulatory inspection records in the electronic database. Learn more and apply.

INTERNSHIPS

Missouri – Summer Intern – Grain Inspection: Missouri Department of Agriculture, Division of Grain Inspection & Warehousing, is accepting applications for a Summer 2023 internship based in Jefferson City with travel (vehicle provided for travel beyond Jefferson City office). The position will be full-time from approximately mid-May through mid-Aug. 2023. Intern will gain hands-on experience in department’s role in regulating the state's grain industry and protecting its grain producers; establish lasting relationships with leaders in Missouri's grain industry; participate with Grain Regulatory auditors as they conduct onsite inspections and inventories; receive training in the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) grain sampling procedures; interact and work alongside employees as they weigh and load unit trains and barges destined for the export market; and obtain experience and knowledge in the grain industry distribution network. Learn more and apply by 12/16/22.

Missouri – Summer Intern – Animal Health: The Missouri Dept of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health, is accepting applications for a Summer 2023 internship based in Jefferson City with travel (vehicle provided for travel beyond Jefferson City office). The position will be full-time from approximately mid-May through mid-Aug. 2023. Intern will learn the daily activities of the Animal Health Division within the Department; work in the Animal Care Facilities Act program (ACFA); work in the Poultry Health Program; experience the Meat & Poultry Inspection Program (MPIP); learn about the Animal Health Labs (Jefferson City and Springfield); ride along with District Veterinarians and work extensively at the Missouri State Fair in August. Learn more and apply by 12/16/22.

Other Training Opportunities

Cenza, Inc. — Food and Alcohol consulting and training for every sector of the food and alcohol industries

Cenza, Inc. has a Learning Resource Portal (LRP). You can schedule live
in-person and virtual training through the LRP by visiting https://cenza.yourlrp.org. The library includes, but is not limited to:

FMSA classes (live and virtual instructor led)